A Super Bowl of What-Ifs

What if the lights had stayed on? We might have been in for a dud of a Super Bowl. With the Ravens leading by twenty-two, on the heels of a hundred-and-eight-yard kickoff return that ended with a touchdown, half of the Superdome went dark. Momentum is difficult to gauge, if it even exists—you know it when you see it, or at least you think you do—but this game did seem to shift. The 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick suddenly looked like the disruptive force he had been all postseason, and got to score—and kiss his bicep. The Ravens turned the ball over. Suddenly, what had looked like an early finish was heading for a possibly spectacular end, with the 49ers the unlikely victors. And then…

What if the referees had called a penalty in the end zone on the 49ers’ final offensive play, which the replay suggested they could have? We would have been treated to one less tantrum from Jim Harbaugh, and likely one more from his brother, John, who we can imagine holding his arms out wide, headset held in one hand, yelling, “Let ’em play!” The Niners might have scored, though they might not have. If they would have, then we were shorted a chance for Joe Flacco, the game’s M.V.P., to lead an end-of-game touchdown drive, the prospect of which excited everyone without a rooting interest in the game. And though Ravens fans are ecstatic about their team’s victory, wouldn’t a last minute drive have been even sweeter?

What if Alex Smith had been the 49ers quarterback, as he was when the season began? They might not have been inside the ten-yard line, with a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown in the game’s final two minutes. But, guided by a more experienced hand, they also might not have needed to use a timeout to stave off a delay-of-game penalty.

What if any of the commercials had actually been funny?

What if Baltimore had a more nimble kicker? John Harbaugh’s first-half fake field goal might have worked, though we’re most disappointed that Jim, in a fit of brotherly competition, didn’t try a fake of his own.

What if the game had been played in MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey, where next year’s Super Bowl will take place? The lights might have stayed on, but outside the stadium there would have been snow, and inside there would have been frigid fingers.

And what if, after the Ravens took an intentional safety and sent a free kick off to San Francisco’s speedy Ted Ginn, the 49ers’ had managed to somehow return the short kick for a winning touchdown? Unlikely, yes, but we know what the result would have been: jubilation in San Francisco, and plenty of what-ifs for Baltimore.

Football’s gone for seven months. What if next season doesn’t offer anything to compete with the fine cap to this year?